Why 'West Side Story' doesn't have subtitles for Spanish dialogue - Insider

One of the most unexpected surprises of Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" is that, unlike the original film, Spanish is spoken on screen and not just in throwaway lines.

During the film's virtual press conference, which Insider attended last month, Spielberg said, "it was out of respect that we didn't subtitle any of the Spanish.

Any time Spanish is spoken on screen, Lieutenant Schrank, who Spielberg pointed out is "clearly a racist," tells anyone conversing in Spanish in the film to speak in English. .

"I also want the audiences, Spanish-speaking audiences, English-speaking audiences, to sit in the theater together so the English-speaking audiences will suddenly hear laughter coming from pockets of the theater from the Spanish-speaking audience," Spielberg said